(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a treatment of proteins of biological origin to increase their solubilities.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
The abundant storage proteins of oilseeds are insoluble in water or in mildly acidic (pH 4.7) aqueous solutions. They are soluble in strongly acidic (less than pH 3), alkaline (more than pH 9), and aqueous salt solutions. For most uses in food systems, however it is required to render oilseed proteins soluble in water or mildly acidic solutions. Consequently, treatment of oilseed proteins to render them soluble in water or mildly acidic solutions is highly desirous.
Weak solutions of hydrogen peroxide (less than 3% ) have been used to bleach fish and plant proteins during their isolation, but the use of concentrated hydrogen peroxide (30%) to increase solubilities of the resultant isolated, dry proteins in water or mildly acid solutions has never been attempted.